UPDATE 1-UK

Royals ready criminal complaint against photographer

* Lawyers for William and Kate to make criminal complaint inParis court

* Irish paper at risk of closure after printing pictures

* Italian publisher denies Silvio Berlusconi involved indecision

By Tim Castle and Conor Humphries

LONDON/DUBLIN, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Britain's Prince Williamand his wife are to make a criminal complaint against thephotographer who took topless pictures of the duchess andagainst the French magazine that published them, their officesaid on Sunday.

The pictures have rekindled memories in Britain of the mediapursuit of William's mother, Princess Diana, who was killed in acar crash in Paris in 1997 while being chased by paparazzi.

Britain's tabloid papers, fighting for their reputationsafter a series of scandals, have refrained from publishing thepictures, even though they are available on the Internet and inthe pages of a tabloid in neighbouring Ireland.

Lawyers for the royal couple will make the request at aParis court on Monday, also seeking damages from the Frenchmagazine, Closer, and an injunction against the publication offurther images.

"We can confirm that a criminal complaint is to be made tothe French Prosecution Department tomorrow," said a spokeswomanfor the second in line to the British throne and his wife of 16months, Britain's future queen.

"The complaint concerns the taking of photographs of theDuke and Duchess of Cambridge whilst on holiday and thepublication of those photographs in breach of their privacy."

Closer has defended its publication of a dozen long-lensshots of the duchess, the former Kate Middleton, on holiday at asecluded villa in southern France. They show her slipping offher bikini top, relaxing topless on a sun lounger and pullingdown her bikini bottoms as her husband applies lotion.

William's office has branded the photos as a "grotesque andtotally unjustified" invasion of their privacy.

Even the best-selling Sun tabloid, the only British title torun pictures of William's brother Harry cavorting naked in a LasVegas hotel last month, has declared the photos off-limits.

POPULAR ROYALS

As well as fearing new regulation, the British press arewary of upsetting readers just as the royal family's popularityis rising, boosted by William and Kate's glittering wedding lastyear, this year's Golden Jubilee celebration for QueenElizabeth, and royal appearances at the London Olympics.

The Irish Daily Star did publish shots of the duchess onSaturday that were originally printed in Closer.

But on Sunday its co-owner, Independent News and Media (INM), Ireland's biggest media company, joined its Britishpartner Northern and Shell in condemning what it called a"breach of decency".

"On behalf of INM, I wish to offer my deepest apologies,"INM chief executive Joe Webb said in the Sunday Independent,another of the group's titles.

Northern and Shell Chairman Richard Desmond said he wastaking immediate steps to close down their joint venture, butWebb said he hoped to prevent the closure of the paper.

In Italy, where Closer's sister publication Chi was due topublish a special edition on Monday including 26 pages of thephotos, Silvio Berlusconi's daughter Marina denied that theformer premier had turned down a request by Buckingham Palacenot to publish.

Both Chi and Closer are published by Italy's Mondadori, part of Berlusconi's media empire and chaired by hisdaughter.

"My father is a politician and, with all respect, is busywith other things and has no time to think about a photoreportage," Marina Berlusconi wrote in a vitriolic letter to thedaily La Repubblica, which reported the allegation.

"Secondly, Mondadori, which I chair, is a publisher thatuses to the best of its ability the freedom that itsshareholders have always given it," she wrote.